Thoughts on the War On Terror (tm)...

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Give the public someone to fear and hate.

Again, the USA has done this remarkably well. As in the novel 1984 by George Orwell, they even change their supposed enemy every now and then, depending on their desires and foreign trade requirements, and even then it continues to work just fine. For a while it might be Iran, then suddenly they support Iran and bomb Iraq; for a while it's the USSR, then it's China and North Korea. Who's next? An interesting point is not just that this policy has been so successful in the USA, but the slight twist applied by that nation's governing bodies. They combine a long-term enemy of immense power with a short-term enemy of negligable power. The long-term enemy of great power provides the USA with a socio-political background of on-going fear and suspicion, against which they may easily paint themselves as the "good guys". That long-term foe must remain in place for the good of the USA's self-congratulatory publicity, and to justify such things as military spending and intrusion into the sovereignty of other nations. The short-term foes of lesser power, such as Iraq and Somalia, provide an opportunity for the USA to flex its military muscle now and again, thus demonstrating their power to other nations and reassuring their own public, contributing to the self-congratulatory publicity already in place due to the long-term supposed struggle. And of course there is what some have called the "military-industrial complex", which is nothing more than a bit of quid pro quo between large defence contractors and elected representatives; contractors contribute money to electoral campaigns, and when that representative is in office, he or she assigns government contracts to the companies which supported him or her; and then, as a new representative is in office, he or she bombs some foreign nation to demonstrate their own resolve and to provide a reason for their military spending.

What we have is a state declaring in indefinite war against an indefinite enemy for an indefinite duration, with indefinite objectives. The perfect backdrop for affecting changes at home and overseas, for those doing it.

Then allegations without evidence against a small, limited power (Iraq), and a limited war.

Obviously targeting Islamic nations and groups will cause polarisation around the world.

Overall, this is a deliberate polarisation of the world which does what? Increases tensions, raises the likelihood of aggression, and gives more excuse for the actions causing the polarisation, thus it is a vicious (although intended) circle.

Any rational comments on the whole matter? Please leave your patriotism at the door, and wipe your feet...